“Daniel came out here by himself for weeks before he disappeared.

You remember how he was back then.”

I kept the edge of the door steady with both hands.

“He was tired,” I said.

“That’s all it was.”

Dean shook his head and gave a soft, sad smile that didn’t reach the rest of his face.

“You always did have a soft heart, Clara, but Daniel wasn’t himself back then.”

“He left papers behind,” I said.